Adjacent Words

Taunt definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

T`AUNT, v.t.
1. To reproach with severe or insulting words; to revile; to upbraid.
When I had at my pleasure taunted her--
2. To exprobrate; to censure.
Rail thou in Fulvia's phrase,and taunt my faults.
T`AUNT, n. Upbraiding words; bitter or sarcastic reproach; insulting invective.
With sacrilegious taunt and impious jest.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing [syn: twit, taunt, taunting] v
1: harass with persistent criticism or carping; "The children teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie" [syn: tease, razz, rag, cod, tantalize, tantalise, bait, taunt, twit, rally, ride]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Date: circa 1527 a sarcastic challenge or insult II. transitive verb Etymology: perhaps from Middle French tenter to try, tempt — more at tempt Date: 1539 to reproach or challenge in a mocking or insulting manner ; jeer at Synonyms: see ridicule • taunter noun • tauntingly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. a thing said in order to anger or wound a person. --v.tr. 1 assail with taunts. 2 reproach (a person) contemptuously. Derivatives: taunter n. tauntingly adv. Etymology: 16th c., in phr. taunt for taunt f. F tant pour tant tit for tat, hence a smart rejoinder

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Taunt Taunt, a. [Cf. OF. tant so great, F. tant so much, L. tantus of such size, so great, so much.] (Naut.) Very high or tall; as, a ship with taunt masts. --Totten.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Taunt Taunt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Taunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Taunting.] [Earlier, to tease; probably fr. OF. tanter to tempt, to try, for tenter. See Tempt.] To reproach with severe or insulting words; to revile; to upbraid; to jeer at; to flout. When I had at my pleasure taunted her. --Shak. Syn: To deride; ridicule; mock; jeer; flout; revile. See Deride.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Taunt Taunt, n. Upbraiding language; bitter or sarcastic reproach; insulting invective. With scoffs, and scorns, and contemelious taunts. --Shak. With sacrilegious taunt and impious jest. --Prior.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(taunts, taunting, taunted) If someone taunts you, they say unkind or insulting things to you, especially about your weaknesses or failures. A gang taunted a disabled man... Other youths taunted him about his clothes. VERB: V n, V n about n • Taunt is also a noun. For years they suffered racist taunts. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. Mock, flout, chaff, ridicule, revile, reproach, upbraid, censure, deride, jeer, twit, scoff at, sneer at, rail at, make game of, make fun of, treat with scorn, make a butt of, make merry with. II. n. Ridicule, derision, scoff, censure, reproach, insult, jeer, gibe, quip, quirk, caustic remark.

Moby Thesaurus

Bronx cheer, Parthian shot, accuse, affront, allege, annoy, arraign, article, aspersion, atrocity, back answer, banter, barrack, book, brickbat, bring accusation, bring charges, bring to book, bug, burlesque, call names, caustic remark, chaff, charge, cite, comeback, complain, contempt, contumely, crack, cut, cut at, cutting remark, dare, denounce, denunciate, deride, derision, despite, dig, dig at, disdain, dishonor, disoblige, dump, dump on, enormity, fasten on, fasten upon, finger, fleer, fleer at, flout, flouting, foolery, get fresh, get smart, gibe, gibe at, gibing retort, give offense to, guy, hang something on, hassle, have a nerve, have the cheek, have the gall, hold in contempt, humiliate, humiliation, hurl a brickbat, impeach, imply, impute, indict, indignity, inform against, inform on, injury, insinuate, insult, jab, jab at, jape, jeer, jeer at, jeering, jest, jibe at, kid, lampoon, lay charges, leg-pull, lodge a complaint, lodge a plaint, lout, make bold, mock, mockery, offend, offense, outrage, parting shot, pin on, poke fun at, pooh, pooh-pooh, prefer charges, press charges, presume, provoke, put down, put on report, put-down, put-on, quip, quiz, rag, rail at, rally, rank out, raspberry, razz, report, reproach, revile, rib, ride, ridicule, roast, rude reproach, scoff, scoff at, scorn, scout, scurrility, short answer, slam, slap, slap at, sneer, sneer at, swipe, take liberties, take to task, task, taunt with, tax, tease, torment, treat with indignity, twit, uncomplimentary remark, upbraid, verbal thrust